Not So Different
by insertcleverandwittytitlehere
Summary: Thestrals are considered bad omens - especially if you can actually see one. So why is Dennis Creevey hugging a bloody thestral down by the lake?


**A/N:** This is Beater 2 of the Chudley Cannons checking in for Round 4 of Season 4 of the QLFC.

 **Prompts:** Write from the POV of your selected creature: thestral; 8. (dialogue) "Why am I crying? I'm so sick of crying"; 10. (setting) lake; and 14. (word) frigid

 **Word Count (before A/N):** 1,035 words

 **I am not J.K. Therefore, these are not her words. Enjoy!**

* * *

Trees, sun. Light. Walking, walking. There is snow. There is _little_ snow. Big man says so. Big, hairy man says lucky there isn't _much_ snow.

Less trees. More sun. Shining now. Eyes blink, squint. Bright water in front. Drinking time now. It is cool, the shining water. Very cool. _Cool like snow._ Blink, let wings ruffle and puff up. Drink more.

Content.

Noise beside me. Lift head and looking.

A boy. Hairy man said so. It's _boy_ from _school_.

Boy rubs eyes… must see shining water too.

Head back in water, drinking. Boy doesn't see me. Never see me. Like it that way. If sees me, boys make loud noises. Not nice noises.

Water is cool like snow and boy makes soft noises. Look again. Boy moves too. Boy is on rock, hands on eyes. Must not like shining water like snow.

Boy talks.

"Why am I crying? I'm so sick of crying."

Crying… try new word. Step close to boy, want to know what boy means "crying," but boy moves. Boy gets off rock, but not nicely. Boy jumps? That is not jump. Must ask hairy man somehow about crying and not-jumping from rock.

"Wha—what are you?!" Boy tries standing, but not-jumps back to ground. "Where did you come from?"

Eyes wide, scared. Boys always scared. But no loud noises, not from this boy. Turn head, watching.

Boy stands, slowly. Blinks. Boys hands on eyes again. Eyes have water on them, around them. _Crying_. Boys make water from eyes and is called _crying_.

Wonder if crying is cool like water like snow. Won't touch boy. Boy is scared.

Then boys eyes widen more.

"I know what you are! Ginny told me," boy smiles. "Thestral, right? People see you when they—" Boy does not smile more. Boy's arms drop, swinging. "They see you after they've seen death."

 _Death_. This word I know. Hear it many times. Hairy man tried saying it to brothers and me. There was much death before, when _school_ was warm and many boys here.

Then boys from school left. Hairy man came back. Brothers and me taken care of. Then boys from school came back. Not as many like before. But they came back.

"You probably don't like being associated with death, huh?" Boy sits on rock again. Boy throws smaller rock at shining water. Rock disappears and wonder if squid will throw rock back.

Squid does not. Squid should sleep deep in shining water when water is cool like snow.

"I'm sorry you mean death," boy says. Boy has decided to hold legs. How odd. Look at own legs, knowing can't hold them. Why want to? "You must be getting a lot more attention this year, huh? Now that everyone's seen at least someone die."

 _Attention_. Hairy man said this word too. It is looking, but more of it. Brothers have gotten more _attention_ from boys from school. But it stopped when _holiday_ happened, and lots of boys left again. They are back now. Back, and snow came too. _Little_ snow.

"My name's Dennis," boy says. _Dennis._ Boy has two names? Boy and Dennis. "I had a brother."

Brother. Have brothers too, many brothers. Dennis could come meet brothers.

Look back to trees, but no brothers came to drink cool water today. Just me.

"It wasn't him I saw die. I didn't—he didn't know I snuck back too. Watched a lot of people fighting. I watched a Death Eater fall from Ravenclaw Tower. He hit the ground with a smack, his bones crunching. I don't think he even felt it. He just—died." Dennis-boy looks at me. "Sorry, I—doubt you understand me anyways."

Dennis-boy holds legs tighter. Own legs would not move like that. Wonder how that works. But turn away. Dennis-boy sad, because death happened. No one likes seeing me.

Drinking again. Noise from Dennis-boy, so look up, water like snow falling from mouth.

Dennis-boy is smiling, making light noises from mouth. Hairy man has word for this… hairy man does this a lot. Tinkle? Blow sound with air… starts like "la" but can't remember. Doesn't matter what word is, Dennis-boy la's with his smile.

"How can you stick your whole head in the lake? It's freezing!" Then Dennis-boy jumps from rock—a real jump—sticks hand in water like snow. Pulls back hand fast. "That's positively frigid."

Dennis-boy closer now. Looks up at me, so look down at him.

"My brother Colin died last year… I wasn't allowed to come back," Dennis-boy smiles, but he is not la-ing or happy. "Dad was beside himself, couldn't let me come back. Not after that. But… but I convinced him. And Professor McGonagall let me come after Christmas. I'm way behind in classes, but I'm here.

"Colin would want that," Dennis-boy is not smiling anymore and is not happy yet. "He'd want me to be a wizard still, and not give up."

Dennis-boy's eyes make water again, hands going to them fast. Then Dennis-boy's arms come around my neck, and his eye water is on skin. At first, might run. But this is not good. This is not happy.

This is _crying_.

 _Crying_ is _sad_.

Dennis-boy crying on me, so run nose along Dennis-boy's back. Brothers did this when hairy man stopped coming to us. Made us feel safe. Hope Dennis-boy feels safe.

Then Dennis-boy stops, steps back.

"Thanks," Dennis-boy's words are light. "Thanks for listening. It's hard to—to talk to people here. They just. Everyone's going through a lot. It's hard to be heard."

This I know. Hard for boys at school to see brothers and me. Hard for boys to hear too. Dennis-boy must be like this, invisible until seen. Walking around, missing brother until can't be unseen. This I know.

Place chin on Dennis-boy's shoulder. Hands run up and down my neck. It is nice.

"I'm going to tell Hagrid he's done a great job with the you guys," Dennis-boy smile is happy now.

 _Hagrid_ … hairy man! Yes, Hagrid does good job. And Dennis-boy's happy again. No more _crying_. But have a feeling Dennis-boy might still need help. Will come to water tomorrow to check on him.

Yes, that's what will do.


End file.
